why not mac?

[Reedimus]

mac has a pretty low reputation around here and I was just wondering why. I don't know anything about them, just that almost everyone hates them and that they look pretty. so if you've got something against mac, please post.

[LawyerRon]

We don't hate Macs. They build a fine machine. I used to work as a graphic desiner on a Mac. They're great. But I'm into building and upgrading my own machine so this rules the Mac out. Most members probably feel the same way. That's why Macs are not a hot topic here. Nothing to discuss about them.

I wouldn't consider getting a Mac for the home though because I want my kids to learn the PC platform as that's what's used in the vast majority of offices and businesses. In short, Macs aren't used in the "real world" much.

However, if you're into graphic design, Macs are the way to go.

[morriswindgate]

Why Not MAC?

1. You Can't build em only buy em
2. Software is much to expensive and limited

[Cricket]

Hi Reedimus,

I don't think the members here "hate" Macs, it's just you can't do major stuff to them like you can with a PC (like build one from the ground up). I think they're great little machines and would gladly take one if one was offered to me. Unfortunately, my friends who use Macs don't want to give them up (I've asked several times ). I would buy one, but that would mean less to spend on parts for my PC's...so, no Mac for me (not now, anyway).

Cricket

[Iman74]

You can't upgrade and tweak a MAC like you can with a PC and windows. Basically you are really limited and lets be honest, since they are NOT as popular as Windows you have to do some serious searching to find a wide range of software for it.

Here is an example: Picture the inside of CompUSA, See that corner with nobody there, that is the MAC section. See how everyone else is everywhere else?

Rest my case

[Computer Hobbyist]

I know a lot of people who absolutely love Macs. The Mac community is large, deep and loyal, but this site is about building and upgrading. Apple is almost hostile to anyone who wants to tweak a Mac. A few years ago, after one of Apple's corporate reorganizations, my partner's son-in-law (who had been selling Mac upgrade parts-ie hard drives) obtained a license allowing him to manufacture and sell Mac clones. Because the Mac is a good machine, the business was successful. During the next Apple reorganization the license was pulled. My partner's son-in-law went out of business. Unlike Bill Gates, Steve Jobs has never learned that his greatest product is his OS. He thinks that being in the computer business requires him to control everything from the electrical outlet to the printer output. Jobs world view leaves little room for anybody else.

CH

[Orcmonkey]

I like them, and I'd love to have one. I WOULD NOT however let it replace my PC, because that is impratical for my needs. I would run them side by side, co-existing with all their individual glory!

[HAL9000]

I don't hate a Mac, I have just never used one and have no intention of buying one only because of the expense. I wouldn't want to fix one out of warranty though. We had an iMac in for warranty. The logic board went on it. $900CDN to replace it. I can do a lot to a PC with $900.

[shecky981]

Whenever it seems the Mac/PC debate comes rolling in, I need to step up and speak...

This is a cut and paste from me from this thread in PC Mech

Mac vs PC is clearly about what you are doing with the machine. Now, understand that they will both do basically everything, however, each has strengths and weaknesses.

PC = most common, approximately a 95% market share. this is due to the hardware not being proprietary and therefore many manufacturers can make product based on a set of (supposed) standards. Windows is probbly the biggest weakness (word up, morris!) but, due to licensing genius by the Gates, is most prevalent. Average use, business use, and gaming are where Windows shines. because the hardware & software is so pervasive, prices are lower than Mac. There are also many many many people who make and sell PC hardware & software, so, there is a lot of junk out there. As a consumer, one needs to be careful. As a friend put it, "PC's aren't good, aren't bad, they just are."

Mac= small market share, but, still a huge number of people using them (millions) Macs are generally percieved as student/home users (iMac, iBook) and professional designers & power users (PowerMac G4, TiBook G4) if you are a student in a school, you have a good chance of using a Mac (Apple agressively sells to public education sectors.) if you are any kind of professional designer, graphics, web, etc, you will most likely be on a Mac. The architecture of the PowerPC chip (made by Motorola) makes for a very fast and stable platform for graphics processing. Certain programs like Photoshop are specifically optimized for the "Velocity Engine" built into the PowerPC G4 chip which gives a 128-bit data stream for some programs (sort of..this gets complicated, lets just say that Photoshop running on a 867Mhz Mac G4 feels faster than Photoshop running on a 1.8 Ghz Pentium) Apple has always been a design leader in terms of enclosures and simple, streamlined software, and products such as iMovie (for video editing) and iTunes (for MP3 ripping/playing/burning) are where they shine as software developers, and attractive enclosures (theiBook is a great example, go pick one of these up - its just a wonderful product) And you will soon see more than just computers from Apple (the iPod MP3 player is the first in a line of non-computer specific products on the way from Apple) The reason Macs are less prevalent is, in my opinion, because they controll the hardware AND software AND OS AND etc........... so, they did not get the licensing that Gates got for Microsoft, so, they are less popular.

Now, i think that PCs & Macs have goods and bads, but, overall, i think that the design, speed, architecture, ease of use, and stability of Mac makes it a better product overall, however, i personally use both. I do all design work (web & graphic) only on my Mac, period. and i generally surf the net & do fileshareing stuff on my PC.

AS FOR some of the other comments, allow me to say some things here. YES there are fewer software titles available for Mac, however, if there are 10 different software titles for a PC that do teh same thing, usually 1 or 2 of them are any good, whereas there will only be 2 titles for the mac, BOTH are great.

YES you cannot tweak and mod a Mac the way you can a PC. again, Apple controlls the hardware & software and enclosures and packaging and everything. the kind of people who buy a Mac generally don't want to tweak it anyway, they just want it to work. And you can upgrade the G4 towers plenty, you have open PCI slots, open drive bays, and so on.

YES Mac is expensive. but it is also a highly integrated system for computing. And, it generally works seamlessly.

[Iman74]

Call me a geek but let's be honest. The funnest part of a PC is building it and tweaking it to your heart's content which you can NEVER do w/a MAC!

[Reedimus]

wow, thanks for all the replies! If I had unlimited funds I'd try one out for sure. good to know about it now.

[HAL9000]

Originally posted by Iman74 Call me a geek but let's be honest. The funnest part of a PC is building it and tweaking it to your heart's content which you can NEVER do w/a MAC!

You got that right. I have to rip apart everything I get my hands on to see what's inside and with a PC, I can play. Not so easy with a Mac.

[troysvihl]

I keep a computer for one major reason: games. And a mac is a terrible gaming system. Very few games acctually get ported to the Mac platform because it's such a small market.

[shecky981]

Originally posted by troysvihl And a mac is a terrible gaming system. Very few games acctually get ported to the Mac platform because it's such a small market.

The 1st scentence is NOT true at all. Mac is actually an excellent gaming platform, especially under OS X. the 2D and 3D support (using Quartz and OpenGL) is at least as good if not better than PC. The problem is the 2nd scentence which IS true. there are far fewer games made for the Mac. In fact, if i were a game developer, why would i develop for 5% of the market when i could instead develop for 95% of the market? Thats why there are fewer Mac games than PC.

I'm sorry Troy, i know you know what you are talking about, and i strongly value your knowledge, but, in this case, you are completely wrong. (well, at least the 1st half of this case)

[shecky981]

for those of you who think you can't casemod a Mac, take a look at Project Blue Ice

[troysvihl]

that's fine shecky981. I have only a fraction of the experience with the Macs as I do with the PC, so you're probably right in that the platform hardware is good. But the hardware is only half the race; gotta have the software too.

[bob]

Must admit that they work great with AOL and Graphics. Kinda like a Beta nice quality but....

[Nuclear Krusader]

I've always wanted a Mac. And suddenly, after you started speaking of them that desire grew stronger. Guess I'll be buying one within six months. I know that it will probably just sit there since I'm a gamer and I'm not into graphics but... as one of the members here says in his SIG: "the fact that I don't need it is exactly why I must have it" (or something like dat)

[bob]

Yes buy one. No forum here to even tell you how to turn it off.
But wait...Rant!... Macs discussed in a PC forum ... Blastomy.

Really that is worse than drugs, politics, religion, jokes, and spam combined!

[shecky981]

Bob, "PC" stands for Personal Computer, which a Mac is. With more than 2000 posts, i figured you would have known that. If we wanted to be accurate, we would have called the forum "Wintel Mechanic" But we don't. So, i think I'll just keep on talkin about Mac when the topic comes up.

Oh.....and you goto Special | Shut down to turn 'em off. =) Unless yer on OS X, then ya goto Apple menu | Shut down. duh. =) even my 5 year old cousin knows that. But, thats prolly cuz Mac's are so much easyer to use than Windows machines.


heheheh

[LawyerRon]

Quote by CH:
"Unlike Bill Gates, Steve Jobs has never learned that his greatest product is his OS."

That statment is so true and the reason Mac lost the battle.

Back in '91 Apple had brilliantly seized the O/S highground with their OS 6 and then 7. It was every bit as good as WIN98SE is now. It was competing against WIN 3.1 (remember the "bad old days"?) and still the Mac lost. Why? A top notch Mac II was over $5,000. Nobody could afford one. In fact, that very machine was my first computer because the company I worked for bought it for graphic design.

You see, where Bill Gates is a "genius" is not in computers, but rather in seeing an idea and knowing where to take it. His plan was to get his OS on every machine and he did just that.

Another thing most people don't know is that a Mac is essentially a PC clone. The main thing that sets it apart is its OS.

[Confused]

The reason I hate MAC's is the same reason that I despise AOL. I don't like the idea of any enity trying to limit my use of a product. I also think Microsoft is starting down the slippery slope with XP.
Chas

[shecky981]

How do Macs limit your use of them?